Lao PDR’s northern-most province lies among cloud-covered peaks between China to the west and Vietnam to the east. The mountains here, along the eastern edge of Phongsaly province, are cut by a narrow winding pass – a trade route with Vietnam becoming more popular amid rising demand for pig meat. Fuelled by affluent regional populations and population growth, demandRead More …

Of all the efforts now underway to incorporate improved Brachiaria grass into Africa’s mixed farming (see part 1 in this blog series), the biggest and most successful was prompted less by its well-known value as livestock feed and more by another important role for the grass that CIAT scientists never imagined. This and other experiences with Brachiaria are summarizedRead More …

Ask any non-African what they usually associate with this continent – at least when a crisis like the current Ebola outbreak isn’t capturing everyone’s attention – and they’re likely to mention Africa’s spectacular big game. But what if someone were to make the case that a far less charismatic slice of Africa’s biological diversity – particularly an un-photogenic forageRead More …

More than 200,000 Rwandan farmers have received free cows under the Rwandan Governments’ One cow per poor family programme since it was introduced in 2006. The move has kick-started small scale milk production, bringing new income streams for cash-strapped farmers, as well as providing manure to fertilise crops, and meat and milk for improved nutrition and food security. ButRead More …

Surrounded by leafy green forages and a hill-view, the homestead of Xia Vang Lor and Nhia Lee is found at the end of a small rural road in north-eastern Laos. Bundles of cut grass for livestock are piled against the house, and at the back there is a cattle pen. “This one is worth US$3,250!” beams Xia Vang Lor,Read More …

New scientific evidence demonstrates that a potent chemical mechanism operating in the roots of a tropical grass used for livestock feed has enormous potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Referred to as “biological nitrification inhibition” or BNI, the mechanism markedly reduces the conversion of nitrogen applied to soil as fertilizer into nitrous oxide, according to papers prepared by CIATRead More …

“He was one of the most rigorous, sharply focused, and productive scientists CIAT has ever had. Like Tony Bellotti, he was a giant of CGIAR entomology and made a unique contribution to CIAT’s research in Colombia and Latin America.” With these comments, Joe Tohme, director of CIAT’s Agrobiodiversity Research Area, summed up the brilliant scientific career of César CardonaRead More …